In a previously proposed automotive vehicle body, a reinforcing member joining a front side frame and a front side pillar to each other is provided on a front side of a dash panel so that a load acting upon the front side frame may be transmitted to major members such as a front pillar and a side sill that form the passenger compartment. Such a reinforcing member is required to be provided in a relatively rear part of the vehicle body so as to avoid a wheel house receiving a wheel therein in front of the dash panel on either lateral side thereof because the wheel house is required to occupy a significant space to allow the wheel to be steered. See Japanese patent No. 2936877, for instance.
According to this proposal, the reinforcing member is placed in a rear part of the wheel house, and necessitates the dash panel to be located more rearward than desired so as to accommodate the reinforcing member. This is undesirable because it diminishes the available space of the passenger compartment.